The Basics

The PlayStation 4 is a video game console manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. Announced as a successor to the PlayStation 3 on February 20, 2013, it will be Sony’s fourth home gaming console, and its fifth overall gaming device.

It will launch on November 29, 2013, in Europe and Australia, and November 15, 2013 in North America.

The History

Lead architect Mark Cerny told IGN that development of the console began as early as 2008, only two years into the PS3’s life. Sony, hoping to avoid the same mistake it made with the PS3 is shipping it a year after the release of the Xbox 360, had always planned to get the head start on Microsoft and its Xbox 360 successor.

Development kits running on the modified PC running the AMD Accelerated Processing Unit chipset were sent to developers in 2012, and in early 2013, officially unveiled the PS4, codenamed “Orbis” since early 2012, at an event in New York City.

The Controller

The DualShock 4 game controller looks similar to the PS3’s DualShock 3, but has several new features. While at first glance it appears almost exactly the same as the DS3, it is actually the most drastic change in a PlayStation controller since the brand’s inception in the early 1990s.

TouchPad

The clickable 2-point touchpad has a resolution of 1920x900 and is located at the front of the controller.

Share Button

The share button allows players to record, snap and share images and video of games.

Grip

Sony added a grip to both the left and right handles of the controller.

Light bar

The light bar will do a number of things. It will be used to identify up to four different players, while also acting as the console’s Move motion control functionality, which will help the PS4 determine the location of a player.

Battery

The built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery can be charged while the console is in sleep mode.

Audio

The controller will have a built-in mono speaker and a headphone jack.

The Media

Media

Will it Work?

PS4 game

Yes

PS4 download

Yes

PS4 used game

Yes

PS3 game

No

PS3 download

No

PS2 game

No

PS1 game

No

PSP game

No

PS Vita game

No

Blu-Ray

Yes

DVD

Yes

Audio CD

Yes

Service

On PS4?

Pulse Manager

Unknown

YouTube

Unknown

SBS on Demand

Unknown

Quickflix

Unknown

Vidzone

Yes

The Studio

Unknown

Yahoo!7 PLUS7

Unknown

MUBI

Unknown

ABC iView

Unknown

Enhanced Music Unlimited

Yes

Twitch

Yes

Service

On PS4?

PlayStation Plus

Yes

Browser

Yes

Facebook

Yes

The Specs

CPU: x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" Single-chip custom processor

Number of Cores/Threads: 8/8

Frequency: speculated to be running a clock speed of 1.6 Ghz on a 2.75 Ghz capable chip

The Features

The PlayStation 4 will support 3D resolution, just as the PS3 did.
The console will also support 4K resolution, but not for video games. Sony has confirmed that 4K resolution on PS4 is only possible for images and video.

Social

The share button on the DualShock 4 controller allows players to record, snap and share images and video of games.

Alongside the inclusion of social media network Facebook, players will be able to use the U-Stream video streaming service.

Sony is also encouraging players to use their real names for their PS4 PlayStation Network account to allow for a more open, social network for gamers.

The PlayStation Network will also adapt to your likes and trends, shaping the PS4 experience to how you best use the console. The PlayStation Store will adapt to your interests this way and showcase games that may be of interest to you based on previous interactions.

Remote Play

The PlayStation 4 and PS Vita will share an integration feature that will allow users to play games from the PS4 on the Vita’s portable screen.

This will allow players to continue playing their game on-the-go without having to turn the game off. Further to this, the two devices have a mirror presentation, so you can play a game on one, and still have it playing on the screen for the other.

Gaikai

Sony acquired Gaikai to help enhance its network’s cloud computing capabilities. The technology is being used to allow players to instantly play PS4 games and demos on the PS Vita, as well as stream demos on the PS4 instantaneously.

The service will also allow players to stream their games live to their friends’ televisions.